Holder for milk cartons



April 9,

Filed April 16, 1962 D. B. SIMPSON HOLDER FOR MILK CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. en/nza /MPSO/Y April 9, 1963 D. B. slMPsoN HOLDER FOR MILK CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 16, 19:52r

INVENTOR. a/mza i J/Msa/v 3,84,829 Patented Apr. 9, 1963 3,084,829 HOLDER FOR MILK CARTONS Donald B. Simpson, Denver, Colo., assigner to Ko-Lap- SoCarton Co., Denver, Colo., a corporation of Coiora o Filed Apr. 16, 1962, Ser. No. 187,643 4 Claims. (Cl. 22085) This invention relates to a holder for the rectangular, card-board cartons of the type used for dispensing milk, cream and other fluids.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an attractive, economical, and easily used holder into which a milk carton may be placed and which will provide a convenient handle so that for table use the milk may be dispensed directly from the original carton in the manner of a conventional pitcher.

Another object is to provide milk carton holders of the above type which can be shipped and packed as flexible flat sheets that can be quickly and easily folded and erected by hand to form highly eflicient, substantially rigid, holders for receiving conventional milk cartons.

A further object is to provide an attachable handle for milk carton holders which will enable the carton to be handled and used as a table pitcher.

A still further object is to provide a foldable carton holder which can be quickly assembled for use and quickly disassembled for convenient carrying and packing when not in use.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a face elevational View of a at, preformed sheet or blank from which the improved erectable carton is formed;

FIG. 2 is a top edge view looking downwardly on the upper edge of the blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the blank taken on the line 3 3, FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary detail View, looking downwardly on the line 4 4, FIG. l, showing how the blank is scored and notched for folding;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing the type of button hole employed in the blank of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational detail view of a handle as used on the carton holder of this invention;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the handle of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the handle;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, rear elevational view of a locking button as used for locking the carton in the erected position;

FIG. l is a similarly enlarged top view of the button of FIG. 8;

FIG. l1 is a side edge view of the button of FIG. 8; and

FIG. l2. is a perspective view of the improved milk carton holder showing it fully erected and ready for use.

Briefly, the carton holder of this invention is erected by folding the at blank of FIG. l into a rectangular enclosure with overlapping extremities, locking the overlapped extremities together by means of the buttons of FIG. 8, thence, snapping the handle of FIG. in place thereon, as shown in FIG. 1l.

The blank could be formed of any suitable material capable of being folded along definite lines. It is preferred to unitarily mold the blank from a suitable flexible plastic material so shaped as to form two top straps 10 and two bottom straps 11 held in vertically spaced relation by means of a middle spacer strip 13 and an inner terminal spacer strip 14 and an outer terminal spacer strip 15.

The midportion of each top strap 10 is stiffened by means of a longitudinally extending edge bead 16 and a shelf flange 17 is molded on and extends inwardly at 90 from the bottom straps 1-1 throughout their entire length.

The top straps 10 are vertically indented to provide upper vertical scored lines 18 to facilitate folding the straps on four pre-determined vertical lines. The bottom straps 11 are similarly indented to provide four similar lower vertical scored lines 19 in vertical alignment with the upper scored lines 18. At each of the lower scored lines 19, the shelf ange 17 is cut back, as indicated at 20 in FIG. 4, to form a V-shaped notch, the sides of which will come together when the strap is folded 90. It will be noted that the shelf flange `17 extends across the inner spacer strip 15 but not across the outer spacer strip 14.

The spacing strips 13, 114 and 15 are indented from the plane of the straps 10 and 11 to form stiffening flanges 2K1 on the inner edges of the terminal strips 14 and 15 and similar stiifening flanges 22 on both edges of middle spacer strip 13. The spacer strip 14 is provided with an upper button hole 23 and a lower button hole 24. The inner spacing strip 15 is provided with similar upper and lower button holes 25- and 26, respectively, which correspond to and which will register with the holes 23 and 24. All of the holes are of the keyhole type, that is, they have a relatively large upper circular opening A with a locking notch B of relatively smaller Width extending therefrom, as illustrated in FIG. ll.

I'he button holes 23, 24, 25 and 26 are designed to receive locking buttons of the type illustrated in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10. The locking buttons are molded with an inner circular head 27, of a diameter to pass through the large circular opening A of a button hole, joined in spaced relation to an outer face piece 28 by means of a cylindrical stem 29, having a diameter to slide into the locking notch B of a button hole. The rear of the face piece `28 is provided with an elongated projecting boss 30 of a width to t the notch B and of length to snap into the opening A to prevent return movement of the stem 29 therein when the button is in its nal position in a button hole. The front of the face piece 28 is preferably grooved or knurled, as shown at 31, to increase finger friction.

The middle strip y13 of the blank has two rectangular handle pads 32 formed on and projecting rearwardly therefrom in vertically spaced relation. An upper handle hole 33 and a lower handle hole 34 are formed through the middle strip 13 and through the handle pads 32. The handle holes are similar to the button holes previously described, that is, they have a relatively large circular opening from which a relatively narrow locking notch extends. In the case of the handle holes, however, the locking notches extend vertically upward.

The handle holes 33 and 34 are for the purpose of attaching a handle 3'5 to the middle strip 13. The handle is preferably molded with an H cross-section and is provided with two forwardly extending arms 36 and 37 which are ver-tically spaced to correspond to the vertical spacing of the handle holes 33 and 34. The arms terminate in a common plane in flat extremities 38 from each of which a cylindrical stem 39 projects to concentrically support a circular head 40. As in the case of the locking buttons previously described, the heads are of a diameter to pass through the larger portions of the handle holes and the stems are of a diameter to slide 3 snugly into the locking notches thereof. One of the stems 39 is provided with a downwardly extending locking boss 41 similar to the previously described locking boss 30 on the buttons.

It is believed the erection of the holder will be apparent from the above description of the elements thereof. Brieily, the blank of FIG. 1 is folded inwardly on the scored lines 1S until the outer terminal strip 15 overlaps the inner terminal strip 14 with the button holes in the strips in alignment. The head 27 of one of the buttons is now passed through the aligned button holes 23 and 24 and pushed downwardly until the boss 30 snaps into the button hole to lock the button in place. A' second button is then similarly placed and locked in the lower aligned holes 24 and 26.

The heads 40 of the handle 25 are now passed through the enlarged portions of the handle holes 33 and 34 and the handle is pulled upwardly until the boss 30 snaps into its handle hole to lock the handle in place. A milk carton may now be placed within the holder and will be supported therein by the shelf ange 17. The upper edge bead 16 will press against and frictionally engage the carton to securely hold it in place against sideward movement. When no longer in use, the holder can be quickly disassembled by ilexing the terminal spacer strips and removing the buttons and the handle. It can then be slipped into a hat container where it will occupy a minimum of space.

While a speciiic form of the invention has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention. Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for forming a milk carton holder comprising: a horizontally-elongatedtop strap; a horizontallyelongated bottom strap; a vertical middle spacer strip joining the midportions of said straps; a first vertical terminal spacer strip joining the extremities of said straps at one extremity thereof; a second vertical terminal spacer strip joining said straps at the other extremity thereof, said spacer strips acting to hold said straps in verticallyspaced parallel relation; two vertical folding scores formed in each strap in vertical alignment on each side of said middle strip; a shelf flange projecting outwardly from and along the lower edge of said bottom strap, said ilange being cut away at each score to allow said straps folded at on said score lines to form a rectangular enclosure with the second terminal spacer strip overlapping the rst terminal strip; and means for securing the overlapped terminal strips together to cornplete said enclosure.

2. Means for forming a milk carton holder as described in claim l in which the means for securing the terminal strips together comprises removable buttons arranged to it into key holes in said terminal strips.

3. Means for forming a milk carton holder as described in claim 1 having a handle and means for detachably attaching said handle to said middle spacer strip.

4. Means for forming a milk carton holder as described in claim 3 in which the means for attaching said handle comprises headed studs projecting from said handle into elongated receiving openings in said middle spacer strip.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,582,541 Ringer Apr. 27, 1926 2,775,373 Coralline Dec. 25, 1956 2,936,927 Peters May 17, 1960 2,944,700 Stevenson a July l2, 1960 

1. MEANS FOR FORMING A MILK CARTON HOLDER COMPRISING: A HORIZONTALLY-ELONGATED TOP STRAP; A HORIZONTALLYELONGATED BOTTOM STRAP; A VERTICAL MIDDLE SPACER STRIP JOINING THE MIDPORTIONS OF SAID STRAPS; A FIRST VERTICAL TERMINAL SPACER STRIP JOINING THE EXTREMITIES OF SAID STRAPS AT ONE EXTREMITY THEREOF; A SECOND VERTICAL TERMINAL SPACER STRIP JOINING SAID STRAPS AT THE OTHER EXTREMITY THEREOF SAID SPACER STRIPS ACTING TO HOLD SAID STRAPS IN VERTICALLY SPACED PARALLEL RELATION; TWO VERTICAL FOLDING SCORES FORMED IN EACH STRAP IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT ON EACH SIDE OF SAID MIDDLE STRIP; A SHELF FLANGE PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM AND ALONG THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM STRAP, SAID FLANGE BEING CUT AWAY AT EACH SCORE TO ALLOW SAID STRAPS FOLDED AT 90* ON SAID SCORE LINES TO FORM A RECTANGULAR ENCLOSURE WITH THE SECOND TERMINAL SPACER STRIP OVERLAPPING THE FIRST TERMINAL STRIP; AND MEANS FOR SECURING THE OVERLAPPED TERMINAL STRIPS TOGETHER TO COMPLETE SAID ENCLOSURE. 